Porn Production Shuts Down After Performer Tests Positive

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Porn production shut down across Los Angeles after an adult industry trade group reported a performer tested positive for HIV.

Free Speech Coalition said it was made aware of the possible infection on Saturday and asked film production companies across the San Fernando Valley on Monday morning to halt production.

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"According to the information that is available, the performer in question may have tested positive for HIV at a testing facility that does not appear to have protocols or procedures in place for medical follow-up (including generational testing)," the FSC said in a statement.

Los Angeles County health officials and state health regulators were not notified earlier of the tests because it was performed out of state, the Los Angeles Times said.

The moratorium would continue until the degree of exposures to other performers was identified, FSC said. A quarantine could be extended after that point, if necessary.

The performer’s name, age or gender was not immediately available.

Several major companies agreed to halt production including Hustler and Evil Angel, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Adult film performers must be tested every 30 days, according to voluntary industry standards. Performers must show proof of a clean test before they perform.

The news follows an announcement earlier this month by an AIDS advocacy group that said it would put a measure on the June 2012 ballot requiring performers to use condoms in adult films.

"As a citizen of Los Angeles, I have a responsibility in my own hometown to make sure we limit the spread of disease, but also to ensure the safety of performers in this industry,'' said AIDS Healthcare Foundation President Michael Weinstein.

The proposed ordinance would apply to commercial production of adult films, and would call on the city to charge adult film producers a fee for enforcement.

The ballot box attempt is the latest move in the AIDS Healthcare Foundation's longstanding campaign to require safe sex in pornography.